Type Tasting is an experiential type studio founded by Sarah Hyndman who explores the psychology of typefaces. Research topics include typeface personalities, typefaces that evoke mood, energy or skill, and evaluating multi-sensory interactions with typeface shapes.

Type Tasting Learn, socialise & create sessions take a typeface or type style and explore it in the context of popular culture and history to reveal the meanings beyond the letterforms.

Explore the evolution of Blackletter typefaces from their first printed appearance in the Gutenberg Bible in the 1400s to their enduring popularity in music and fashion. Blackletter is a chameleon of a type style because its personality is transformed from the extremes of good to evil by the context it appears in; from the Bible, the masthead of a newspaper, a beer label, movie poster, record sleeve to Nazi propaganda. In this session you will look at the evolving history of Blackletter type and how it has absorbed so many associations, modern takes on the style, and also investigate your instinctive responses to the shapes of the letterforms. You will then roll your sleeves up for a hands-on creative session away from the computer sketching Blackletter letterforms as you experience how sound can alter your response to the forms. No previous experience necessary.

The new book by Type Tasting founder Sarah Hyndman will be published by Laurence King Publishing on 17th April 2017. This is an activity book that gathers up typefaces into themes such as ‘Fonts of knowledge’, ‘Rebellious types’ and the ‘Wild Wild West’. Each chapter starts with an illustrated type sampler and then takes you through exercises that teach the origins of the typefaces and give you space to draw them for yourselves. Here’s a link to pre-order, it on Amazon, and keep an eye out for launch events and book signings nearer the time.

‘How to Draw Type and Influence People’ is written and illustrated by Sarah Hyndman. “This brand new book provides an exciting and interactive way to learn about typography. Packed with fun creative exercises to help you discover your own style and create new typefaces” Laurence King.

Type Tasting Learn, socialise & create sessions take a typeface or type style and explore it in the context of popular culture and history to reveal the meanings beyond the letterforms.

Explore how typography can be used to give angst and rebellion a voice, and how you can use fonts to ensure that YOUR message is heard. You will learn from recent history how typefaces both articulate and document change, and what an important role they have played. From the anti-establishment angst of Punk, the placards of the miners’ strikes of the 1980s, the wine industry’s seismic shift through language and design, to the successful presidential campaigns in the USA. Learn how to select a font in 4 easy steps, then roll up your sleeves for a hands-on creative session away from the computer.

I chatted to Louis Bradley of Dazed and Confused Magazine about typographic rebellion and how the ultimate way to rebel against the increasing ubiquity of the sans serif might be to use fonts that provoke a reaction like Comic Sans or Papyrus.

“How to start a revolution with Comic Sans. Could something as simple as font have been the catalyst for the spread of punk or behind Donald Trump’s win? We explore the hidden power of typeface”

The idea that something as simple as typeface can be an integral part of a protest movement might sound a bit far-fetched. But the role of fonts is just as important as actual words in communicating a message to the masses. It’s why you don’t ever stray too far away from Arial or Times New Roman on your CV – you don’t want to come across as too much of an avant-garde loose canon by opting for Lucida Handwriting or Bradley Hand. Or why you don’t commonly use curly script-like letters for your uni essays.

Sarah Hyndman creates workshops and events designed to teach the art of typography and deconstruct the power of design. The ‘Never Mind The Typography’ exhibition outlines how the angst and rebellion of punk was expressed in every fibre of the counterculture, even right down to the lettering. “When punk (and its typeface) arrived in the mid-70s, the design at that point in time was very traditional and old-fashioned, kind of nostalgic and backwards looking,” she explains. It was this reaction to the rigid restrictions of modernism that gave birth to a whole new movement in innovative design. Cast your mind back to the creator of the ransom note style and the Sex Pistols logo Jamie Reid, and the slick layered graphics on British Independent album sleeves created by Barney Bubbles, who also designed the logo for NME magazine. “With all of this comes the layering of meanings, layering of images, often lots of references and subtexts that were put in so you had to be in the know to understand the references. You know from that type style that the album is going to be in a certain rebellious underground – it’s going to have swearing in it, basically.”

Are you looking for a Christmas gift for the design savvy person in your life? Why Fonts Matter by Sarah Hyndman (Penguin/Random House) is a colourful journey through type and fonts ideal for both designers and non-designers. If you would like a gift tag signed by the author to accompany your present for that personalised touch, email sarah(a)typetasting.com a UK address and a message and this will be posted to you*.Purchase a copy from Amazon UK

Do you Judge a Wine by its Label?
Wine & Type Tasting, 8th December, 7:30pm to 9:30pm, £30
A sellout success at the London Design Festival this yearBook now

“Frankly brilliant idea of combining a type workshop with a wine tasting”It’s Nice That

Are you looking for a winter warming treat with your friends, or a unique and entertaining event for your team and clients? Join us for an innovative type and wine tasting experience and take a journey of discovery through a selection of superb wines as you explore what the design of the label tells you about what you drink.

How much does a bottle cost? If it looks expensive will you enjoy it more? What does the type tell you about its provenance? Try your hand at wine and font pairing as you identify the key flavours. Ultimately is the label just there to inform you, or can it transform your tasting experience?